28 March 2007, Belleville, Ontario—Blues musician Rick Fines will spend the week of April 2 to 5 at Centre Hastings Secondary School giving workshops in songwriting and playing the blues.

Blues in the Schools presents students with blues history and the evolution of music in North America through story and song. This approach illustrates the huge influence blues music has had on all types of western popular music. Blues is used to teach examples of popular song structure and rhyming patterns, as well as to illustrate historical content.

The main objective of the program is to encourage both storytelling and self-expression through song. Students will examine how self-expression helps to understand and define beliefs, feelings and values. They will discuss the value of story-telling and song structure, such as verse, chorus and bridge. By the end of the week, students will write and perform at least two blues songs.

Rick Fines is a veteran of the folk and blues circuits in North America. He recently returned from Alabama where he took first place in the Sweetgum Bottom Acoustic Blues Competition. His song "Riley Wants His Life Back" won first place in the blues category of 2003 International Songwriting Competition, with B.B. King as one of the judges. He twice won the MapleBlues Award for Acoustic Act of the Year (1998, 1999) and was nominated three times for the MapleBlues Songwriter of the Year award. In 2004 Rick was nominated for the third time for MapleBlues Songwriter of the Year, as well as for the Best Male Vocalist award. His 15 years with Jackson Delta won recognition from both the Juno and the Handy Awards.

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For information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, (613) 966-1170, or 1 800 267-4350, ext. 2354